Vsinger (formerly VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT in 2012-2014, and VOCANESE in 2014-2015) is a project that develops and promotes Chinese VOCALOIDs. It is headed by Shanghai HENIAN, a small Chinese company that collaborated with Bplats, Inc..
History[]
To create strong support for the first Chinese VOCALOID, a contest was held to pick the most popular design. The winning entry, Luo Tianyi, became a VOCALOID while the runner up entries were included in promotions.[1] A second contest was held to find the design of VOCALOID CHINA's next VOCALOID.[2] There were 15 winning entries, with the grand prize winner, YANHE, becoming a VOCALOID and the rest were honorable mentions.[3]
On January 31, 2014, it was announced that VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT ceased activity, but future Chinese VOCALOID productions would be continued by YAMAHA.[4] Later, in February 2014, it was confirmed in an interview that YAMAHA was selling the character rights of the two Chinese VOCALOIDs and four promotional mascots to Shanghai HENIAN permanently. The project was relaunched as VOCANESE once the sales were finalized around March 2014, and the collaboration between Shanghai HENIAN and Bplats ended.[5]
On August 2, 2014, a voice provider contest was launched for one of VOCANESE's existing supporting characters, Yuezheng Ling.[6] On August 26th, 2014, a new character, Zhanyin Lorra, was introduced and had her own voice provider contest.
On May 28, 2015, VOCANESE was relaunched as Vsinger. Shanghai HENIAN stopped using their VOCANESE accounts and started introducing themselves with their new name.[7] This name was formed after Ren Li, the former leader of Shanghai HENIAN, resigned from the company. The project focused more on the original band members and YANHE.
On July 14, Vsinger's official Facebook page was built and in their banner and About section, it was revealed that Lorra was no longer part of Vsinger.[8]
On August 17, 2023, a documentary about Luo Tianyi was released, which included interviews with former Shanghai HENIAN members, such as Yuki, Yuki's team, and Jian Pan, as well as others like lategra and ilem. According to the interview, it was noted that Yuki and her team were unable to control the whole Vsinger operation starting around 2019-2020, alluding to Bilibili beginning to become more involved with Vsinger's activities.[9]
Characters[]
This is a list of the current Vsinger characters.
Luo Tianyi (洛 天依; Luò Tiānyī / ルオ・テンイ; Ruo Ten'i) was the winner of the first design contest and the first Vsinger character to become a VOCALOID. She is 15 years old and 156 cm tall. Her profile describes her as an angel who came to earth with a mission to spread music to the world. Her personality is a little introverted, but she is still full of empathy and does not give up easily. She admires the VOCALOIDs from the past and dreams about the day she can do just the same as them — using songs to bring happiness to the world. While she cannot communicate with humans due to a language barrier between humans and VOCALOIDs, she is very sensitive to others' emotions and can use songs to express her own feelings and thoughts.
Her special skill is Resonate (共鸣). Tianyi can detect "the song of your heart" (心中的歌声). This "song" can be interpreted as the strongest emotion a person has at the moment or a melody that represents them. Even if the person cannot express the melody themselves, Tianyi can still hear it and sing it. Her birthday is July 12. The creature who accompanies to Tianyi is Tian Dian (天钿), a fairy of music who cannot speak. Tian Dian is 30 cm tall and is 10 years old. She transforms into Tianyi's microphone. Trivia: Formerly known as Yayin Gongyu (雅音 宫羽), she was drawn by MOTH.[10] |
YANHE (言和; Yánhé) was the winner of the second VOCALOID CHINA contest and became an official VOCALOID. Unlike the previous characters, YANHE was not heavily revised, so her name and artist remained the same for her finalization. In addition, she was not given an extensive background story, except for being 170 cm tall. She was also described to be handsome on the outside, but soft-hearted on the inside and has an androgynous, yet boyish voice. Her birthday is July 11. |
Yuezheng Ling (乐正 绫; Yuèzhèng Líng) was one of the runner up entries from the first contest. She is 16 years old and 160 cm tall. Despite the release of the 2nd Chinese VOCALOID, she was confirmed to receive a voicebank, making her the first VOCALOID based on a runner up design.
Ling is described as a lively high school student. Her family runs the huge Yuezheng company, a business that makes instruments and music. Her personality is very straightforward and can sometimes be seen as blunt as she does not care for details. She is extremely generous and energetic, spending much as 3/4 of the day running all over the place and sometimes, her high spirits causes boys to become jealous. She loves music, experiencing new things, and huge, fluffy dolls. However, Ling has many annoying issues in her life, mostly related to her older brother, Longya. Her birthday is April 12.
The feline-like creature is Ling's companion and his name is Shi Tian (释天). Shi Tian is 10,000 years old and is 200 cm tall. He's very old, wise, and tolerant of Ling, as she sometimes uses him as a pillow when she sleeps. He transforms into her electric guitar. Trivia: Formerly known as Ling Caiyin (绫 彩音), she was drawn by Rikuhao.[11] |
Yuezheng Longya (乐正 龙牙; Yuèzhèng Lóngyá) is the fourth character to become a VOCALOID and the first male VOCALOID from the Vsinger cast. He is Ling's older brother and the heir to the Yuezheng corporation. He is 23 years old and 180 cm tall. Longya has an agile mind and many people look up to him. Like his sister, he is straightforward, but he also possesses the ability to make important decisions correctly and has the strong aura of a leader. Longya's weakness is that he hates troublesome issues, and the only time he is not troubled by them is when they are related to his younger sister. He is very protective towards Ling, and can become slightly hysterical when dealing with situations related to her. His birthday is October 2.
Longya has a dragon-like creature for a companion named Bei Chen (呗辰). He is 50,000 years old and very wise. His height is unknown (Listed as "????") and he transforms into Longya's drumset. Trivia: Formerly known as Yayin (牙音), he was drawn by aya[12] |
Zhiyu Moke (徵羽 摩柯; Zhǐyŭ Mókē) is another runner up from the first contest. He is 14 years old and 150 cm tall. Moke is a genius with an IQ of 168. Even though he always wears an innocent and warming smile, he is actually a huge Otaku. By starting threads in forums, editing, and uploading MVs, he is seen as a "god" by some people on the internet. He is sometimes mistaken as a girl and even though he claims he hates it, there are rumors of a popular cross-dressing cosplayer appearing in various comic conventions who looks very similar to him, however, the truth is still unknown. Because he usually doesn't talk much, most people will take him as a "nice boy", but he will reveal his true Otaku self when he is with close friends. He acts somewhat like a professional debater when talking about anime or other Otaku topics, but tends to react poorly to subjects that do not interest him. His birthday is December 10.
The winged creature is Fei (绯), Moke's companion. Fei is 20 cm tall along with a wingspan of 60 cm, and is 500 years old. He is usually white, but turns red when angered. He often argues with Moke, and is quite childish. He transforms into Moke's wing-like keyboard. Trivia: Formerly known as MOKO, he was drawn by SAKU. |
Mo Qingxian (墨 清弦; Mò Qīngxián) is another runner up entry from first contest. She is 17 years old and 171 cm tall. Qingxian is a fashionable high school student. Because of her elegant and mature outlook, she is extremely popular in school. Even though she seems to be a mysterious character, she actually has slow reactions due to her poor health. She dresses fashionably most of the time and her actions show great elegance and traditional beauty. Qingxian loves traditional Chinese literature and poems and is capable of playing many traditional Chinese instruments skillfully. Even though she reacts slowly, she still tries her best to take care of the juniors and the people around her. She also has a tendency to become randomly philosophical. Her birthday is May 20.
The purple flower creature who rides on her arm is Yi Xian Qing (一弦青), who is a year old and is 20 cm tall. She transforms into Qingxian's bass violin. Trivia: Formerly known as Chou, she was drawn by HANS.[13] |
Media[]
Animation[]
To advertise the VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT, a series of animations were produced to promote the winning entries of the first contest.
Screencap | Title | Translated | Episode - Airdate |
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Io6BKE72uOo/default.jpg | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT宣伝用アニメーション 第01話 | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT Promotional animation Episode 01 | Episode 01 - Jul 5, 2012 |
Introduction of Luo Tianyi. From Heaven, Tianyi was singing and practicing for her upcoming audition. After she finishes, she becomes sad and disappointed, possibly from the lack of confidence. She then remembers the time and rushes off. In the following scene, she is seen on stage and takes part of the singing audition. One of the judges notices her angel wing glowing faintly, however, she is rejected. During a meal, she becomes depressed that she lost and Tian Dian tries to cheer her up. The judge who noticed her wing earlier calls her back and she is sent off to Earth. | |||
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/h5s34i9yPPs/default.jpg | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT宣伝用アニメーション 第02話 | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT Promotional animation Episode 02 | Episode 02 - Jul 5, 2012 |
Introduction of Yuezheng Ling and Longya. Ling wakes up in the morning and Longya greets her. However, she becomes annoyed and shoos him away. She goes to school and in the afternoon, she practices singing but chokes up later on. After that, she becomes disappointed and leaves. Outside, she loses her lyrics sheet, but notices what she thought was a falling star in the sky and follows it. In a field, she finds a foreign spaceship. The hatch opens with a surprised and "jetlagged" Tianyi in it. She falls out head first and accidentally kisses Ling. She then flies up into the sky and is surrounded by screens and sings while Ling was on the ground watching her. Her singing caused a tree to grow in the area they were in. | |||
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4cv_F3-5W6w/default.jpg | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT宣伝用アニメーション 第03話 | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT Promotional animation Episode 03 | Episode 03 - Aug 29, 2012 |
Introduction of Zhiyu Moke and Mo Qingxian. The teenage VOCALOID CHINA crew arrive at the front of a convention. Ling is excited to show Tianyi around but is drawn away by her brother and is lost in a crowd. This may relate to their position as the son and daughter of the Yuezheng corporation head. Another crowd comes and takes Tianyi and Moke with them leaving Qingxian on her own. Inside the convention, Moke notices some cosplayers and is drawn to them, but suddenly finds something else that catches his eye and Tianyi struggles to keep up with him. She stops and notices Tian Dian being given away as a prize, and she could not do anything to save her. Moke analyzes the situation and manages to use his charm to cut his way through the long line for the game. Being the genius he is, he achieves a high score and saves the fairy. He returns her to Tianyi, who smiles as he walks away. | |||
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lmn7X7LGWYc/default.jpg | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT宣伝用アニメーション 第04話 | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT Promotional animation Episode 04 | Episode 04 - Sep 28, 2012 |
Qingxian finds a purple flower named Yi Xian Qing. Qingxian is still outside of the convention, not noticing a thing. A cat comes along and tries to get her attention, but gives up after a long period of no response. After the cat leaves, Qingxian finally reacts and pulls out a cat toy, but is saddened that she was too late and she follows it, with the toy still in her hand. As she passes by obliviously, in the background the following occurs: Moke is dancing and shows off to Tianyi and a crowd. There is a duel between the cosplayers Moke admired in the previous episode. Suddenly, people take pictures of Qingxian (possibly tourists) and she becomes confused, but Longya chases them away. She then finds a patch of grass and hidden inside was Yi Xian Qing, the flower. They stare at each other for quite some time. | |||
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yoVPVC-PRRI/default.jpg | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT宣伝用アニメーション 第05話 | VOCALOID CHINA PROJECT Promotional animation Episode 05 | Episode 05 - Nov 12, 2012 |
A concert is held with Tianyi and Ling singing together. The VOCALOID CHINA crew are preparing their instruments before the big concert. Ling is nervous and Tianyi notices. She tries to reassure her friend, but Ling is still scared. The rest of the gang try to cheer her up too and with the support of her band-mates, she feels better and confident. The concert begins with Tianyi and Ling singing, while the names of the characters appear on screen to identify who they are. When the song gets closer to the chorus, Ling and Tianyi are shown together and Ling gains a red angel wing that is similar to Tianyi's, but on the opposite side. At the end, the instruments glow and the creatures revert back into their true forms and they fly into the night sky. |
Concerns[]
Unlike previous drawing contests, the first VOCALOID: CHINA contest had brought concerns.
- One of the main issues during the event was that many of the entries had a "Miku formula" based on the successful design of Hatsune Miku. VOCALOID:CHINA's contest had been the first time this was truly criticized, since a large number of entries were heavily influenced by past VOCALOIDs.
- The names were constructed in the same structure as Japanese VOCALOIDs, where 雅音 means "elegant voice", 宫羽 are 2 notes in ancient Chinese music, same as DO and LA in modern music. This is awkward sounding to a native Chinese speaker and was influenced by the naming styles of the Crypton Future Media VOCALOIDs.
- The winning entry had an extensive backstory which no previously released VOCALOID had. While it was not kept, it was used as a starting point. The winner ended up with one of the most complex and thorough examples of "canon" of any VOCALOID, competing only in terms of complexity with Nekomura Iroha's "Kittyler" story.
- In addition, there was also an issue with Mo Qingxian's original design which was the result of tracing and modifying another artist's work. However, this was only discovered long after the competition and therefore was never an issue at the time of the results.[14] As this violated the contest rules, this design was disqualified.[15] The official designs were later done by ideolo.[16]
References[]
- ↑ http://news.aniarc.com/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8Bv%E5%AE%B6%E6%AD%A3%E5%BC%8F%E4%BB%A3%E7%90%86-vocaloid-china-%E4%BA%BA%E7%89%A9%E5%BD%A2%E8%B1%A1%E5%AE%9A%E6%A1%88-%E5%B0%87%E5%86%8D%E5%89%B5%E4%BD%9C%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E7%89%88/news/17324
- ↑ Index of contest 2
- ↑ winner, runners up and honorable mentions
- ↑ http://www.vocaloid.com/news/products/vocaloid_china_closed.html
- ↑ http://v.pptv.com/show/sxV29XSzLGrNS7M.html
- ↑ Ling competition
- ↑ VOCANESE to Vsinger
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/vsingerofficial/photos/a.1598403790420269.1073741828.1598399423754039/1598403767086938/?type=1&theater
- ↑ https://bilibili.com/video/BV1CN411z77E
- ↑ Former stats of Gongyu - Height: 157 cm
- ↑ Former stats for Ling - Height: 155 cm / Weight: 41 kg
- ↑ Former stats for Yayin - Age: 20
- ↑ Former stats for Chou - Age: 16 / Height: 164 cm / Weight: 48 kg
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ https://www.weibo.com/2473274704/y1nPnkqYp
- ↑ https://www.weibo.com/2473274704/y1nPLyni3
External links[]
- Site: VOCALOID CHINA (defunct)
- Site: VOCALOID CHINA project (defunct)
- Site Vsinger
- Site Vsinger (license)
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